Every single person in the OR has a story about Sara going above and beyond for her patients. She is one of the most thoughtful nurses that I have ever met, and she constantly thinks about ways to make her co-workers and patients feel special. I wish I kept a journal of all of the small, day-to-day things that she does but two recent stories just from this week are:

A childhood cancer patient came to the OR for a port placement. This nurse got to know her and talked to her about all of her favorite things. The patient mentioned how much she loved Goldfish (the snacks). Unfortunately, the patient had to return later because her port was infected. This nurse remembered that patient remembered their conversation and went to the store and bought 5 different flavors of goldfish snacks to give to her when she arrived for her procedure. The girl raved about how much she loved her.

Also this week, a Haitian immigrant arrived with her 3 children that all needed surgery. The mother was anxious and overwhelmed. It was clear that the children were feeling it too. This nurse made arrangements for the Social Worker to help sit with the mother and she brought in toys to help distract the children.

One of the sons had a very loose tooth. Once he was in the OR and under anesthesia, they went ahead and pulled the tooth to avoid it falling into the patient’s airway. This nurse found/placed the tooth and $5 bill under his pillow with a note from the “OR Tooth Fairy.” These kind gestures are just the type of person that this nurse is. She makes a huge impact on the children she cares for.